Main menu

Tag Archives: built-in storage

When you invest in a new home, one smart decision involves the choice to install additional built-in storage. Drawers and cabinet options such as this one can be used in so many ways; you will never regret any extra storage you give yourself.

This smart compact storage area can be used to store craft tools, for wrapping gifts, seasonal decorations, office or homework supplies, home maintenance essentials or anything you want. The biscuit-colored cabinetry is enhanced with a caramel glaze, creating an old-fashioned look that is easy-clean and inviting.

This could be space to store platters and bowls for special entertaining – those items that are too large for regular family gatherings. Or maybe it’s the perfect place for treasured table linens inherited from your mother or grandmother. Wrapped in acid-free tissue, they will be ready for special holiday use.

How would you use this storage space? For a closer look, visit our Peninsula models at our Oasis at Queen Creek Community.

People recognize the value of built-in cabinets in a kitchen, but there are so many other places in your home where built-in cabinetry can make your life easier and your home more beautiful too. Consider these possibilities.

Dining or breakfast room: What better place to store serving pieces and entertainment items than right where you need them. Rather than taking up space in your kitchen, let another room in your home be of help. And a well-designed choice of cabinets including features such as glass-fronted doors and special lighting can make a bare wall into a design feature while providing extra storage. Take a look at how the space above has been transformed by adding the right type of built-in.

Laundry room: A well-designed laundry room can provide more than clean clothes. Use laundry built-in cabinets to hold cleaning supplies, craft tools, table linens or holiday decorations. The bins shown in the photo to the right could serve as a family “lost and found” with every family member assigned their own place to put anything left around the house.

Hallway: If you have halls that are wide enough or that have a natural niche, consider adding built-in cabinets. You will have extra storage, something we all can use, and create a space with personality rather than an empty area.

With built-in cabinets, you can customize their size and design to capitalize on all of the space and make maximum use of it. Take a walk through your home. You may be surprised at all the places that could benefit from built-ins.

If you would like a buffet or china cabinet in your dining room but don’t want to sacrifice the space, a built-in might be the right solution for you.

If you choose to go in this direction, take a look at this successful installation from Fulton Home’s Tehama model in the Victoria Estates community. Here are a few design tips to help create a successful built-in buffet in your home.

Stay consistent: If your built-in will be stained wood, make sure it has the same basic tone as any other wood in the room. Notice that the table and chairs complement the buffet, while a touch of glaze on the cabinetry separates it from the other wood in the room.

Keep the furniture look: The height and depth variation in the buffet along with the floor molding help this piece read like furniture in the dining room rather than a traditional built-in. The inset is also a different height from the ceiling, wrapping itself around the piece as though the alcove was made for the buffet rather than the other way around.

Manage your flooring: Using tile or stone flooring to help contrast these beautiful wood cabinets, dining table, and chairs will look better than wood flooring. Also, while it might be tempting to add an area rug, the location of the rug’s edge could affect people’s ability to walk comfortably next to the buffet.

Stay coordinated but not matchy-matchy: The rich rust on the walls, the soft taupe curtains, the artwork, and accessories pull all of the room’s elements together. Using a granite countertop for the buffet, the antique rattan chairs at the head and foot of the table also create an individualized look for both elements in the dining room.

By adding this built-in, the homeowner gained a generous amount of storage, a great solution for entertaining family and guests, and an additional sense of drama for the room itself. Consider built-ins when you make design plans. You may find them to be just the right solution for your home.